Members of Congress are pointing to rising wages and private-sector job growth as evidence that the Working Families Tax Cuts Act is delivering results for American workers and businesses.

The law, signed by President Donald Trump on July 4, 2025, reduced taxes on tips, overtime pay, and certain retirement benefits, while expanding the child tax credit. Supporters say the changes have increased take-home pay, strengthened hiring, and given families and entrepreneurs greater financial certainty.

“Letting American families keep more of their hard-earned money, rather than spending it on wasteful government boondoggles, is one of the most important victories we can achieve in Congress,” Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, told The Daily Signal. “Thanks to the Working Families Tax Cut, the average tax refund in 2026 is over 10% higher than it was in 2025.”

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A Heritage Foundation analysis found that private-sector employment among U.S.-born workers increased by more than 2.6 million over the past calendar year, while the number of employed foreign-born workers declined by 21,000 over the same period. Heritage economists attribute the shift to stronger private-sector growth alongside reductions in federal employment under the Trump administration.

Under former President Joe Biden, Heritage analysts argue, growth in public-sector jobs often made the labor market appear stronger than private-sector hiring trends alone would suggest. Trump’s downsizing of the federal workforce, paired with tax relief for workers and businesses, has reversed that dynamic, the report said.

In November, for example, the private sector added 69,000 jobs while 41,000 federal employees were laid off, according to the analysis.

“Mr. Trump is simultaneously saving taxpayers money by clearing out the deadwood in the bureaucracy while boosting economic growth,” Heritage Foundation Chief Economist E.J. Antoni wrote in the report.

Republican lawmakers say the effects of the tax changes are already being felt this filing season. Rep. Mark Harris, R-N.C., told The Daily Signal that Americans are “already seeing the difference this Tax Day” because of legislation passed last summer.

“Families aren’t just filing taxes,” Harris said. “They’re keeping more of what they earn.”

“Whether it’s no tax on tips and overtime, a stronger child tax credit, or relief for seniors, these pro-growth, pro-America policies are putting more money back in the pockets of the hardworking people who need it most,” he added.

Harris said middle-class Americans and small business owners are using those savings to invest, expand operations, and hire additional workers.

“Small businesses now have the certainty to expand and hire more North Carolinians. Family farms can pass on what they’ve built,” he said. “And seniors get to hold onto more of what they earned over a lifetime of work.”

Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., echoed those remarks, saying the law has allowed entrepreneurs to reinvest more of their earnings into their businesses.

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“The Working Families Tax Cuts Act has saved Americans billions by removing taxes on tips, overtime, and Social Security,” Stutzman told The Daily Signal. “When money isn’t going toward wasteful government spending, entrepreneurs have more left to invest where it matters — on their businesses.”

“Hoosiers in Indiana’s Third District, and Americans across the country, are already feeling the positive effects,” he said.

Critics of the law have argued that the tax cuts could worsen the federal deficit or disproportionately benefit higher earners, claims supporters dispute by pointing to employment gains and rising after-tax income for working families.

The post Americans See Employment and Earning Retention Gains Thanks to Working Family Tax Cuts appeared first on The Daily Signal.

For many in the liberal press, Hungary’s recent election signaled the “defeat of autocracy” and a decisive “turn back” toward Europe. For some conservative commentators, the same outcome was framed as evidence that “Brussels-backed liberals” had taken over yet another conservative stronghold.

Both sides miss what actually happened.

Hungary’s election was not a conventional contest between left and right. It was a systemic correction driven by broad-based dissatisfaction with how power has been exercised over roughly the past two decades. This dissatisfaction is also with the political crisis of 2006 tied to the socialist government at the time, which eroded trust in democratic institutions and led to Fidesz’s landslide victory in 2010.

After 16 years in power, Fidesz was no longer simply a governing party but the very system voters were evaluating.

What really drove the outcome was accumulated frustration with a political system that had become increasingly centralized and insulated. Over time, this system became associated with entrenched corruption, weakened institutional accountability, and political polarization that deepened and strained civic life and personal relationships.

At the same time, economic and geopolitical concerns intensified. Many voters perceived a shrinking middle class alongside expanding crony networks, as well as growing dependence on Russia and China. This included not only Hungary’s long-standing energy dependence on Russia, but also a perceived increase in political alignment with Moscow, often reflected in government narratives critical of Ukraine. Environmental concerns linked to Chinese investments, including in electric vehicle battery production, made things even worse.

Against this backdrop, a governing approach that emphasized “enemies”—whether Brussels, Soros, migrants, Ukraine, or others—appeared increasingly disconnected from the country’s domestic challenges. Messaging signaled heightened war risks in the event of a non-Fidesz victory contributed to a climate of fear and anger, instead of a policy-focused electoral debate that many Hungarian voters have long been hungry for.

TISZA emerged in this space. Its success stems from a simple but effective message: that Hungarians, regardless of political affiliation or background, share common priorities.

By focusing on education, health care, economic performance, and national competitiveness, TISZA shifted the political conversation toward everyday concerns, bringing together voters from across the political spectrum. Hungarian society leans moderately center-right on average, which helps explain why this coalition is anchored slightly to the right.

Notably, much of the traditional left did not re-emerge as an alternative but folded into this broader movement. This reflects opposition to the Fidesz government. It also suggests a deeper convergence around shared priorities that cut across traditional party lines. In many ways, this mirrors how Fidesz itself once rose to power—with a broad, unifying message.

TISZA presented a detailed program and a slate of prospective officials drawn from professional fields and the private sector. This resembles practices familiar in the U.S., where agency leadership often includes individuals with private-sector expertise.

Hungary itself has some precedent for this approach: Orbán’s first government in 1998 included individuals with nonpolitical or technocratic backgrounds. By contrast, Fidesz’s recent campaign environment relied heavily on messaging centered on Ukraine and featured many established political figures with whom voters had grown dissatisfied.

The international portrayal of Péter Magyar, TISZA’s leader, further illustrates the limitations of prevailing narratives. He is neither the liberal figure celebrated in some outlets nor the proxy for external interests lamented by some conservatives. On key issues such as immigration, border control, family policy, and peace—positions that broadly align with those of Viktor Orbán—his platform reflects continuity with conservative priorities. However, Magyar has taken a clear stance against corruption and against deepening political and economic alignment with Russia and China. Thus, the difference between TISZA and Fidesz is not about left and right, but about how power is exercised.

The election is often mischaracterized as a simple choice about “Europe.” But for Hungarians, Europe is not synonymous with alien institutions or regulatory frameworks coming from Brussels. Instead, it reflects a deeper cultural, historical, and geographical orientation.

The desire to choose Europe is about rejecting alignment with alternative systems—particularly those associated with Russia, which oppressed Hungary for nearly half a century, and whose painful legacy many families still vividly remember. It is also notable that resisting Russian influence was once a central talking point of Fidesz itself.

This moment underscores a broader lesson: as Lord Acton warned, power tends to corrupt, and great power corrupts even more. A political movement that once called for civic renewal and independence gradually became the very system it once opposed.

Hungary’s experience underscores a general principle: even strong leadership and good intentions can give way to corruption if power remains unchecked for too long. This moment represents both an opportunity and a responsibility for TISZA—to ensure that institutional accountability is preserved and that the mistakes of the past are not repeated.

In this light, narratives that interpret Hungary’s election through their own lenses fall short, reducing a complex domestic development to a familiar storyline. TISZA’s landslide victory reflected a rejection of a governing system perceived as unresponsive. It was also a demand for the government to restore checks and balances, strengthen institutional accountability, enhance competitiveness, and reaffirm a pro-Western civilizational alignment. Whether this model can be sustained remains to be seen, but understanding Hungary today requires paying closer attention to the realities on the ground.

We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal.

The post What Both Liberals and Conservatives Get Wrong About Hungary appeared first on The Daily Signal.

House Republican leaders are demanding Democrat-aligned fundraising platform ActBlue forfeit records related to its “fundamentally unserious approach to fraud prevention” — including fraud potentially committed by foreign nationals. The move comes after a bombshell report indicated ActBlue likely lied to Congress about the issue. In their Tuesday letter to ActBlue CEO Regina Wallace-Jones, House Committee […]

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, told reporters on Wednesday that any agreement to limit Iran’s illicit nuclear development would require the country to agree to significant international oversight.

The post U.N. Nuclear Chief: No Iran Nuclear Deal Without Respect for Inspections appeared first on Breitbart.

'Calling this a waste of taxpayer money doesn't seem to go far enough'

Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler is optimistic that the economic sentiment for small businesses will return to pre-Iran war levels soon amid a downturn.

“One data point does not a trend make. And the long term trend under President Trump has been for small business optimism to be above its 52 year average under Joe Biden,” she told The Daily Signal at a Tax Day press briefing on Wednesday.

The National Federation of Independent Business Small Business Optimism Index fell to 95.8 in March, below the index’s 52-year average of 98. The federation’s Uncertainty Index also rose four points from February, with its mark of 92 well above its historical average of 68. 

The Daily Signal asked Loeffler what relief the administration will provide small businesses amid increasing prices and falling small business optimism.

Loeffler said she thinks the decreased optimism is “temporary.”

“We’ll get back on track,” she said.

Under Biden, small business optimism remained below the index’s 52-year average rating for 34 consecutive months, Loeffler said. She explained that “small business was being crushed by regulation, massive red tape, the threat of high taxes, and all the burdens of the green New Deal.”

“So right now, small businesses are really in growth mode,” Loeffler said. “They’re planning to hire, and the optimism is very strong. If you see in the NAM survey, National Association of Manufacturers, their optimism is up five points. So I think this is temporary. We’ll get back on track.”

The March rating is a significant decline from recent months. The optimism index remained above the average of 98 in both January and February.

The federation’s Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg noted that ”the dramatic spike in oil prices has spooked consumers and owners alike.”

”Small business owners are having to absorb those higher input costs and pass them along to their customers,” he said, while noting the ”positives” brought about by the 20% small business deduction in the Working Families Tax Cut Act.

The post ‘We’ll Get Back on Track’: White House Addresses Falling Small Business Optimism Amid Iran War appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Parents prioritize civic literacy, colorblindness, and transparency in education rather than focusing on preconceived notions of the oppressive and oppressed, according to a new national survey.

The survey commissioned by the THINC Foundation, delivered shots directly across the bow of critical race theory. The vast majority, 85%, of parents believe individual attributes such as effort, character, and perseverance have more influence on life outcomes than immutable traits like skin color and ethnicity.

More than nine in ten parents said it is important for children to be taught mutual respect and cooperation, including engaging with differing viewpoints, and 90% said it is important to teach civics. Nearly as many parents, 89%, said school curricula should be publicly available so they know what their children are being taught.

The survey, released April 14, polled 2,246 parents of K-12 students.

“Parents want schools to focus on the fundamentals that bring Americans together: civic literacy, respect for different viewpoints, and the conviction that every child can succeed,” said THINC Foundation Founder and CEO Mitch Siegler in a statement accompanying the release of the findings.

“The overwhelming consensus reflected in this survey should remind policymakers and educators that families expect classrooms to be places of learning, not arenas for divisive partisanship.”

Curricula commonly associated with critical race theory, including programs such as Liberated Ethnic Studies, have drawn criticism from some parent groups and organizations. Many argue that these programs place an increased emphasis on race and identity in divisive ways.

Siegler questioned why schools have prioritized these ethnic studies programs when parents are asking for the opposite. In the survey, 82% of parents believe schools should teach the value of a colorblind society in which individuals are judged by character rather than race or ethnicity.

“If this is how people feel, why are we doing the opposite in so many school districts?” he asked. “Why doesn’t common sense prevail, and districts give parents what they want in a constructive, unifying way?”

THINC Seeks an Alternative to Divisive Ethnic Studies

The THINC Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promotes transparency and civic-minded education in K-12 schools, aims to address these concerns about ideology in the American education system.

“We originally launched the THINC Foundation in 2024 to bring greater awareness to the issue of ideology in American schools and to advocate for a more constructive, unifying approach that brings students of different backgrounds and ethnicities together,” Siegler told The Daily Signal.

In recent years, THINC has developed its own curriculum, which Siegler said focuses on “bringing people together, emphasizing critical thinking and debate, and teaching students about different backgrounds.”

THINC, along with some other organizations, argues that ethnic studies can be appropriate if taught in a different format. Siegler said that teaching about different cultures and backgrounds can be valuable when presented appropriately.

“This material may be more suitable for older students,” he said, adding that concepts such as “oppressor and oppressed” should not be introduced in early elementary grades.

Should Ethnic Studies Be Replaced With Civics and History Courses?

Other groups take a more critical view.

Jonathan Butcher and Mike Gonzalez of The Heritage Foundation’s Center for Education Policy argued that ethnic studies programs should be replaced with civics and history courses.

In their article, “Hey Hey, Ho Ho, Ethnic Studies Has Got to Go,” the authors pose that civic education should emphasize shared national principles and individual rights. They contend that ethnic studies curricula focus heavily on group identity.

“The content emphasizes the differences between different identity groups, making their status as Americans subordinate to their immutable characteristics. As a result, students are taught that the characteristics that they cannot control—such as skin color and biological sex—help to determine their destiny more than their choices and decisions,” the authors stated.

The role of ethnic studies in American education remains a subject of debate. Some argue the subject can be adapted for older students, while others believe it should be removed entirely.

Regardless, according to THINC, the new survey reveals a “broad consensus around core educational principles, including mutual understanding, critical thinking, and reasoned debate—a strong rejection of those who see education as an inherently political pipeline to activism.”

The post Parents Want Civic Literacy and Colorblindness in Classrooms, Not Critical Race Theory appeared first on The Daily Signal.

An American internet troll known as Johnny Somali has been sentenced to six months in a South Korean labor prison after a series of offensive stunts that included dancing on a memorial statue honoring World War II sex slaves.

The post American Internet Troll ‘Johnny Somali’ Sentenced to 6 Months of Hard Labor in South Korea appeared first on Breitbart.

Sixty-five percent of U.S. voters blame President Donald Trump for the surge in gas prices, according to a poll released Wednesday. The Quinnipiac University poll, which surveyed 1,038 registered voters nationwide from April 9-13...

Federal prosecutors have filed additional felony charges against the suspect accused of placing pipe bombs near the Republican and Democratic National Committee offices the night before the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach.

You know things are looking a bit dire when your former congressional BFF and longtime House Intelligence Committee ally is dropping completely out of politics due to numerous rape and […]

The post Watch: As Walls Close in, Schiff's Own Words Come Back to Haunt Him in Resurfaced Pardon Video He Wishes Didn't Exist appeared first on The Western Journal.

Wednesday on CNBC's "Squawk Box," House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said the Trump administration has presented "zero evidence privately or publicly that there was an imminent threat to the United States of America" from Iran.

The post Jeffries: Trump Administration Has Presented ‘Zero Evidence’ Iran Was Imminent Threat appeared first on Breitbart.

ST. PAUL, MN — Tax Day is here and Minnesota's vibrant Somali community would like to remind everyone that the deadline to file is midnight.

The GOP is keeping tax policy in the headlines with a successful Tax Day, as Americans can expect an average $3,000 refund. Members are now looking ahead to how they can continue to be the party of “working Americans.”

During a press call about President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB) — now commonly referred to as the Working Families Tax Cuts Act by Republican members — House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told The Daily Signal that the GOP will never waiver from the understanding that “the individual is the person best positioned to make decisions about their own lives and what to do with their own money.”

“Democrats had the opportunity,” Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa., chimed in, referencing the last administration.

“Costs went up for seniors and taxes went up for seniors. In fact, we saw so many times, time and again, that the investments that were promised for these working families and all throughout our community never came to fruition,” Mackenzie said.

Emmer celebrated Mackenzie for being one of the champions behind the increased and permanent child tax credit included in the OBBB.

“It is Republicans that have delivered on these promises that we made on the campaign trail, and people are seeing and feeling more of this money back in their pockets this tax season,” Mackenzie concluded.

Major OBBB Provisions Not Getting Headlines

At a separate event, the Republican Study Committee highlighted the tax wins. Members noted key provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill that are bolstering the economy but may not be getting the headlines.

Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., noted that because of the savings in the OBBB tax cuts, $50 billion was able to go to support rural health care.

Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., reminded the room that because of the savings, money was able to be put toward remodeling the country’s air traffic control system, protecting our skies and our homeland.

And, because of all of the overall savings stimulating the economy, real wages are up. “Wages have now outpaced inflation,” Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, said.

Looking Forward

Van Duyne announced that the party is “anxiously and currently working on” the next tax bill, hoping they will have an opportunity to deliver to “make it an even better bill.”

Edwards noted that when something is successful, it’s important to go back and evaluate how it’s working.

Real Americans shared their ideas with lawmakers on possibilities to add to the next legislation.

Will McLoughlin, a veteran and a small business owner, praised that the no tax on overtime has been “life-changing” for some of his employees, but he suggested adding a provision to protect “bonuses below a certain threshold of income” from being taxed. He explained that it is heart-wrenching to reward an employee for working hard just for some of that bonus to go to bureaucrats.

Another small business owner proposed a provision to benefit seniors and small business owners. When you retire and have to sell your company, you lose a large amount of cash from capital gains taxes, but he proposed that the capital gains taxes instead go to a retirement account.

Real Americans Getting Relief

Dennis Ferrigno, owner of Executive Beverage in Virginia Beach, Virginia, said that the OBBB was the “greatest bill to hit the floor in ages,” noting the benefits he and his employees have reaped from no tax on tips.

“God bless America, God bless the president, and God bless the legislators that got this done … Hampton Roads thanks you,” Ferrigno praised.

Alex Butterworth is an attorney for Uber Eats and an investor in Butterworths, the notable “MAGA bar” in the capital. He explained that as an H-1B visa worker, his investment venture was because America is “a country I want to contribute to.”

Lindsey Fifield is a stay-at-home mom. She shared with lawmakers and the press that because of the tax benefits and Trump Accounts from OBBB, she has “security” to stay at home with her children to homeschool them.

The post GOP Looks to Expand Tax Relief, ‘Even Better’ Than One Big Beautiful Bill appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Gun rights groups are asking a California court to overturn the state’s 11% tax on firearms and ammunition as unconstitutional.

The post SAF, FPC File Motion To Kill California Gun Tax appeared first on The Truth About Guns.

The Trump administration's anti-fraud task force reportedly has suspended nearly 450 hospices in Los Angeles in what officials are calling a major crackdown on widespread abuse of taxpayer-funded healthcare programs.

'If anything happens to me, please mother, no tears'

A popular SantaCon charity fundraiser that floods New York City with thousands of inebriated young people in red and white Santa costumes every holiday season was true to its name: a con, federal authorities said as they arrested its organizer.